


A New Twist on an Old Classic... Carnival Ride That Is

by noblegirl91



Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22702831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblegirl91/pseuds/noblegirl91
Summary: Out of the blue the Doctor announced that he was taking Peri somewhere fun and exciting. When she asked what he had in mind he simply replied that it was a surprise...A fluffy little fic just in time for Valentine's Day!
Relationships: Peri Brown/Sixth Doctor
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	A New Twist on an Old Classic... Carnival Ride That Is

**Author's Note:**

> A shout out to Nightmare Fair for those who have listened to that audio, For anyone who hasn't, it's not a major plot point here, but definitely check it out some time it's free to listen to on spotify!
> 
> Please enjoy!

His surprises usually never boded well for her if they were going by his definition of ‘fun and exciting’ especially if he was in what Peri considered to be a playful mood. Still she held out hope for a nice sunny beach as the Tardis materialized at their destination.

Unsurprisingly it was not a beach.

“I thought we were done with amusement parks after the whole Blackpool incident.”

“I will agree that the Toymaker did manage to spoil that trip, but that shouldn’t prevent us from enjoying this place. Now as much as I adore a good old fashion boardwalk fair this place is a close second. The Carnesierians have added their own special flare to Earth’s classic rides while still maintaining that vintage carnival appeal.”

Peri was unimpressed.

“I thought you enjoyed Blackpool.”

“Sure when I wasn’t being chased down dark tunnels or held captive, it was fun but I was hoping for someplace more relaxing than thrill seeking.”

“Relaxing? Relaxing! My dear Peri you can do that any time! You’re not the least bit curious to see what this place has to offer?” he pouted.

The sweet aroma of funnel cakes and caramel corn wafting through the air was making a convincing argument for staying. The Doctor stood waiting for her answer looking like an eager school boy just before the final bell.

Glancing through the gate Peri had to admit the park did look intriguing. “Okay let’s go.”

Elated the Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her along through the entrance.

At first glance the fair looked exactly like the ones she remembered visiting back on Earth. The biggest difference of course was the variety of aliens intermingled among humans both as tourists and ride operators.

Before deciding where to start they strolled through the park taking in the sights. Peri stared in awe at the three story carousel. Each level spun independently of the others, the top and bottom moving clockwise, the middle counterclockwise, all at varying speeds. She noticed that among the traditional carousel horses there were several strange creatures she didn’t recognize but all beautifully ornate in design.

Further along bumper cars whizzed around their enclosure in all directions, driving not just along the floor but the walls and ceiling as well. She thought she heard the Doctor mention something about super magnets but was too enthralled in watching to pay him much attention.

He asked which ride she wanted to try first but Peri insisted that since it was his idea to come here that he should get first pick. So of course he chose the rollercoaster.

Peri glance around looking for the trademark scaffolding. “Are you sure they have one?”

The Doctor had a mischievous glint in his eye. “Peri what would an amusement park be without a rollercoaster? Just wait until you see it, or perhaps I should say don’t see it.”

Walking back towards the entrance they had passed the line without her realizing it. As the cars returned for the next group of passengers Peri understood what he’d meant by not seeing it.

There were no tracks. The train of cars hovered above the ground on antigravity repulsors. Once the passengers were loaded and secured the cars rose into the air, slowly climbing an invisible slope at an almost ninety degree angle reaching its peak some five hundred meters up. The train of cars then plummeted at a blazing speed straight toward the ground before pulling out of the nosedive at the last possible instant and continuing on its predetermined route around and at times through the park. It danced among some of the taller rides, banking around the top of the carousel in a hammerhead style turn then used the outline of the double Ferris wheel for its vertical loop. The coaster zigzagged through a gauntlet of water spouts that shot up from the lake at the edge of the fairgrounds before ending with another stomach-wrenching corkscrew and gliding to a gentle halt at its second gate on the other side of the park.

The Doctor and Peri staggered off the coaster bubbling with laughter.

“Well that’s certainly one way to get from one end of this place to the other.” He grinned. “I think they added a few more turns since my last visit.”

“That was the most insane ride I have ever been on,” she said between gasps. “Remind me to never criticize your piloting again.”

They watched as another group of daring passengers climbed aboard. The train of cars shot off again, this time facing backwards going through its course completely in reverse.

“Uh if it’s alright with you Peri, I think we’ll walk from here.”

“Fine by me. Hey we should –oh god is that what I think it is?” Still giddy from the adrenaline rush she burst out laughing again.

The Doctor peered around to see what had caught her eye, “What?”

“A Tunnel of Love. I haven’t been on one of those since I was in high school. I think I laughed the whole ride because of how cheesy it was –didn’t exactly make my date very happy.”

“I don’t recall that being here before; must be new. Shall we give it a try? See if it’s still as ‘cheesy’ as you remember or if the Carnesierians have managed to improve it?”

“What!? No! Besides I’d have thought that sort of ride was too boring for you. And what happened to we can relax any time?”

“A nice leisurely cruise is precisely what’s needed after that exhilarating excursion. Oh come on Peri,” he playfully nudged her in the side, “we can poke fun at the paper Mache Cupids.”

She shot him an incredulously look. “You seriously want to go on that?”

The Doctor shrugged. “If nothing else I’ll get a solid ten minutes of shut eye. Stay here if you like, I’m going to try it out.” He started off towards the line entrance with Peri on his heels still trying to figure out why she was letting herself be talked into this.

There was not a single person standing on the loading platform. Clearly it was not the most popular ride; even the attendant looked bored, not even daring to perk up when he finally had some takers.

The Doctor hopped into their swan shaped boat as it came to a stop and helped Peri step over from the platform. Once they were seated the boat set off towards a large set of heart shaped doors where it paused. Peri rolled her eyes at the cliché exterior. The Doctor made use of the delay to make himself comfortable. Cat like as ever he stretched out along his side of the cozy vessel lazily draping one arm across the back of the bench seat and propping his feet up on the bow. Finally the doors swung open and they glided into the dark tunnel.

Once they were passed the entrance the tunnel became illuminated by the warm amber glow of several candelabras as a soft melodic tune swirled around them in an attempt to create a romantic atmosphere. Two rows of large silver cherub fountains with bows drawn lined either side of the passage, the tips of the arrows spouting streams of water creating an arch over the boat as it floated along beneath them. At the end of the arch was a second set of doors and again the boat paused waiting for them to open. A shower of gold sparks rained down in front of them. The last cherub in the row of fountains came to life and aimed his arrow at the sparks. As it hit the arrow exploded into a giant heart shaped firework that hung in the air for several seconds before dissolving as the doors slid aside.

“Thoughts so far?” the Doctor inquired leaning over to Peri.

She shrugged. “Not bad, I suppose. I’ll give the Carnesierians points for the pyrotechnics.”

The ride moved them through a shorter tunnel that was pitch black save for a spec of light at its end growing brighter the closer they got. Peri was about to ask if the ride was over already when they suddenly found themselves bathed in sunlight sailing through the most beautiful garden-scape Peri had ever seen. There were so many varieties of flowers and plant life, some that she recognized and several that she didn’t but would have loved to get a closer look at. It was the kind of place she could picture herself spending an entire afternoon exploring and having a picnic. Actually the more she thought about it this place looked vaguely similar to a place where the two of them had picnicked not long ago.

Peri glanced over at the Doctor to see if he’d picked up on the similarity. He looked just as intrigued by the scenery as her. Curious he reached out to touch the nearest clusters of flowers. They both watched as his hand passed directly through them.

“Impressive. They’re using a telepathic field to create sceneries drawn from our memories.”

“I thought I recognized it. This is the same place we had that picnic!”

“Well a rough interpretation of it. I think you’ll find a few other things from your memory mixed in, hence the amount of the flora native to Earth.”

For being no more than an extremely detailed hologram weaving together several places she’d been or had a fondness for it was quite convincing. She could smell the scent of the flowers, feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, and even hear the birds singing. It was remarkable. Even knowing this place was an illusion didn’t stop her from wishing she could stay here for a while. The pure tranquility of this Eden-like setting was blissful.

Feeling pleasantly relaxed Peri settled back into the seat which felt surprisingly more comfortable than it had been at the start of the ride and then she realized why. It was not the seat but the Doctor that she was leaning against and either he hadn’t noticed or was pretending not to. Peri could’ve sworn they had not been sitting this close a moment ago and she didn’t think that she had moved. Then again in a boat this small it wouldn’t take much movement to end up invading the other person’s space, which was the point of this ride after all. She would have been practically in his lap if they hadn’t each huddled into their own corners when they first got in.

Well since he didn’t seem to mind, she thought, there was really no sense in making a fuss so Peri stayed nestled against him enjoying the atmosphere.

They continued drifting peacefully along for a few more minutes, during which time his arm had slipped from the back of the seat and was now lightly draped across her shoulders.

The blue sky overhead began to darken and the garden faded away like a scene changing in a movie. In the blink of an eye they were surrounded by a brilliant star field. The tiny points of light reflected off the still water creating the illusion that they were hanging in the middle of space. Above them a spectacular nebula silently swirled in vibrant hues of blue, green, and gold. Flashes of red lightning appeared from within the clouds illuminated the gases at random intervals changing their colors and shape as it moved. It was the sort of sight Peri was only ever able to see via the Tardis’s view screen. Witnessing it up close in all of its glory was breathtaking.

“The Medusa Cascade,” he breathed, not daring to disturb the silence more than necessary, “one of the most wondrous sights in the universe.” 

“Doctor it’s –it’s...” Completely captivated her words trailed off.

“Beautiful.”

She turned to agree with him and realized that his gaze was focused not on the cosmic spectacle around them but on her. Suddenly feeling self-conscious Peri tried to look away but found she was mesmerized by the way the colors danced across on his features, enhancing the green of his eyes, highlighting the golden tones of his hair. Even his garish outfit seemed complimented by the scenery, a rare feat in and of itself. 

The Doctor wasn’t making any attempt to mask his desire as he slowly leaned towards her. Peri couldn’t help but to be drawn to him as well and began to feel dizzy with anticipation as they came ever closer.

No more than a hairsbreadth apart the roar of the rollercoaster’s repulsors and the excited screams of its passengers overhead jolted them back into reality.

The ride had ended and they were being ferried to the exit platform. The Doctor and Peri jumped apart retreating to their respective corners of the boat for the remaining few feet. She ventured a glance over in the Doctor’s direction. His face was as red as his coat. When he caught her watching him they both looked the other way deciding it was better to avoid eye contact.

“Well I must say the Carnesierians succeeded in improving that. I’ll give them 10 out of 10 for ingenuity,” The Doctor announced with a nervous laugh. “Clever trick, using the passengers own minds to evoke an emotional response; a tad on the intrusive side though. The realistic holograms make detecting and resisting artificial pheromones more difficult.”

“Pheromones?” Peri wasn’t entirely convinced by his hasty explanation. Was what almost happened really only due to the influence of a manufactured chemical? “I wouldn’t have thought that kind of thing could affect Time Lords.”

“It doesn’t… Normally that is.”

Ignoring the safety advisement playing over the speakers the Doctor was on his feet and already leaping onto the platform before the boat came to a complete stop. He still had the presence of mind to help Peri out then quickly began to search for something to distract him.

‘What should we do next Peri?” he asked anxiously. The Time Lord was more than ready to put this awkward incident behind him. 

“Um… How about bumper cars?”

“Dodgems! An excellent choice, I believe they were this way.

Peri lingered a moment as the Doctor strode off into the crowd, still pondering whether or not what he had said about the Tunnel was true and what would have happened if the ride had lasted just a little bit longer. She shook her head trying to clear her mind. Was she actually wishing they had kissed? Peri wanted to dismiss her feelings as remaining effects of the ride but there was a small part of her that doubted the ride was the cause.

“Do keep up Peri!”

“Coming.” She decided to push these foolish thoughts aside. Pending some alien attack or another surprise visit by the Toymaker, she was determined to enjoy the rest of the day.

As she caught up to him he offered her his arm. He had quickly returned to his normal self. In fact his whole demeanor seemed to suggest he had already forgotten about the Tunnel and their near kiss. They continued their jaunt through the park both doing their best to pretend nothing out of the ordinary had happened.


End file.
